On any given day, go into any group, forum or online discussion about marketing, and you'll see threads asking about avatar “targeting” and/or target marketing.
Most people did the demographic avatar “work” and now want to “reach the right people” through target marketing strategies, or marketing specifically to the interests of that avatar.
So they go into the Facebooks, spend most of their time selecting the right interests, age range, location, and so on- reflecting their marketing avara. Then they toss in a quick blurb about what they have to sell. And they hope for the best.
When their ads don't convert, they blame the platform.
Be that as it may, the one thing I find most marketers do wrong has nothing to do with targeting demographic data.
Even though interests and location are important…
I find so many marketers ignore the importance of saying the right thing.
The Message Is Important in Target Marketing
Let's say I have caviar for sale.
I put an ad on Facebook that says: caviar for sale. I send that ad to “everyone”. I don't choose people who have a high net worth. I don't target people 50+
You get where I'm going with this? I don't use target marketing as it's come to be known.
Instead, I select a few interests. Someone who likes yachts, boating, success mag, whatever.
I focus on the PSYCHOGRAPHICS. Not the demographics.
When the right people see my ad, they stop and click it.
The wrong people ignore it. Which is PERFECT.
Because if I put an ad that said “fish for sale” I get people who want to buy fish, people who like fish and chips, people who want salmon, haddock, whatever.
Do you see what I mean?
But caviar is targeted, it speaks to the right people. And REPELS everyone else.
I know this is a simple example of “ad copy”, but I'm sure you get the point. Target marketing copy is as much about what you say as who it's too.
Our goal is to engage in target marketing not through speific demographics plugged into an ad platform, but through targeted interests, our copy, and our messaging.
As Roy Hollister William said: “The true secret of advertising success is to say the right thing to as many people as you can afford to reach over and over again. Word-of-mouth advertising is the result of having impressed someone, anyone, deeply.” (in this case let's say my caviar is BEST in class 🙂 )
And the customer, impressed with the delivery, packaging, and taste starts that word of mouth 🙂
(But word of mouth marketing is for another time 🙂 )